Eggplant Mushroom and Asparagus with Tofu

Non-Scary Fried Tofu & It’s All Over But the Choppin’ Veggies

You may notice that most of my recipes are extremely easy. This is because I have four kids, and they are notorious for distracting me with things such as theological questions, hugs, political debates, and secret laundry piles. The most time consuming portion of this week’s recipe is the chopping…but it’s totally worth it–trust me!

The Method

Peel and chop veggies so that you could take a bite without having things fall off your fork. Place it all in a glass baking dish and spritz with your lemon half. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and are giving off a nice aroma. You CAN toss this all with a little olive oil if you want, but if you’re trying to cut fat, then you can leave it out.

While the veggies bake, get ready for some non-scary tofu. (This is what my kids have asked me to make 3 times!)

The Raw Materials: Tofu

1 package Extra Firm Tofu, drained, cut into bite-sized cubes

2 or 3 green onions

Your favorite tamari or soy sauce

olive oil

The Method

If you’ve never seen it before, tofu comes in a big hunk. Slice it so it’s not too thin (or it will break when cooking) and not too thick. 2 inch cubes or triangles are perfect. Extra firm also works best–otherwise your tofu will end up looking like cottage cheese in the pan.

Place your tofu chunks in a bowl and drizzle with tamari or soy sauce, gently tossing the tofu to coat, and heat up a little olive oil in a pan or wok. Let the tofu sit while you thinly slice the green parts of your onions. You may use the white part too, but I’ve found the greens give plenty of flavor.

When your pan is hot enough for water to sizzle, drain the tofu and add it to the pan. Add the green onion and saute the tofu. When the tofu looks golden or brown, it’s ready to eat.

The Arrangement

You can either toss the fried tofu with the veggies when they’re done, or you can serve them separately. Another option is to serve the veggies and tofu with brown rice and drizzle with tahini. Or, if you feel fancy, fry up the veggies and tofu with some rice in a wok.

Basically, slap it all together, sit back, and enjoy the non-scary tofu!

*Note: Every time I made this in my stainless steel pan, the tofu stuck to the bottom, making a thick brown crust that my teenager did not appreciate scrubbing off. The tofu does not stick to my oiled cast iron wok. So, beware of which pan you choose for this tofu experience.